Where I Run - EP is out now!
Capping an incredible two year run of major streaming and viewer numbers – and numerous high profile retail placements – for her four latest singles, Casey Ahern celebrates a return to pre-pandemic life with a series of in person live performances this summer as she celebrates the long awaited release of her second EP, Where I Run, which is out now.
Produced at Nashville’s Sound Emporium Studios by the veteran production team of Nathan Meckel and Mark Niemiec (aka The Buzz Brothers), the five track collection includes each of those singles – “Just a Dance,” “Sunday Driver,” “Didn’t Even Get A Goodbye” and “Bradley” – and “Heartbreak Radio,” a sweet, nostalgic song about Casey’s lifelong passion for country music and the way it has “taught me to love, to hurt” and find comfort in its minor chords and often sad lyrics.
The 22-year-old Southern California based country/Americana singer-songwriter chose “Where I Run” – from a key line in “Bradley,” the soulful country-pop ballad that kicks off the EP – as the title not simply because the theme of quick, energizing movement inhabits most of the tracks, but to reflect the exciting reality that, in her own words, “I’m a runner.”
“The reason I decided to release the EP after all the singles was to give each song its own spotlight, something fresh for people listen to and focus on every few months,” says Casey, who whose popular 2018 debut EP He Was Summer spawned two popular singles, “Indio” (currently at 139,000 Spotify streams) and the title track (50,000+). “Each track has a feeling of forward or backward running motion and creates its own unique world. They’re all in some way about the places I run physically or mentally to escape and reflect on life, and each offers a glimpse of one of those special places. Together now, the EP creates a unique narrative of the past few years.”
The stats have been impressive since the Fall 2019 release of “Just a Dance, which has just shy of 114,000 Spotify streams and whose video has nearly 45,000 views. The second release, the high spirited up-tempo gem “Sunday Driver,” was added to two stations in the Sydney, Australia area and received in-store airplay in Macy’s as well as Gap and Old Navy. Its romantic, old timey and very fashionable video scored over 103,000 YouTube views, was added to 89 outlets nationwide and aired on California Music Channel, mtvU, OKTV in Germany and VH1 India. The production team for the video included Gregory Alosio (CMT Europe Music Video of The Year for Dwight Yoakum’s “Suspicious Minds”), Randy Coonfield (CBS, NBC, HBO) and Jennifer Ngou (“The X-Files,” “America’s Next Top Model”).
In addition to nearly 60,000 total streams for its original and acoustic versions, Casey’s heartfelt, reflective power ballad “Didn’t Even Get A Goodbye” received significant national country airplay throughout the U.S. With 54 stations spinning the track and a total of 523 total weekly plays the week of August 12, 2020, the song was in the Top 5 streams for the country format on Play MPE and among the Top 8 downloads in the country format on Play MPE. It also received in store placements in Macy’s and Abercrombie & Fitch.
Dropping in March 2021, the fourth single “Bradley” allowed Casey to share her best kept secret. The soulful country-pop ballad is unique in that the singer crafted it like a romantic love song about a guy – but like her trademark tune “He was Summer,” it’s really about a special place in her heart. The video, which reflects a budding romance amidst the the landscape of California’s beautiful Central Coast, has over 31,000 views and has achieved 47 adds on various video outlets, including Videojam, OTT Video Vision and Music Video Kings.
Where I Run features a powerhouse ensemble of veteran Music City musicians – guitarists Tim Galloway (Josh Turner, Luke Bryan) and Kris Donegan (Bretty Eldredge, Shania Twain), bassist Lee Hendricks (Eric Church), keyboardist David Dorn (Tim McGraw, Kelsea Ballerini), drummer Matt King (Maren Morris, Brothers Osborne) and two time Grammy nominated violinist Eamon McLoughlin (Rodney Crowell, The Band Perry). Where I Run was produced by the veteran production team of Nathan Meckel and Mark Niemiec, collectively known as The Buzz Brothers.
Casey will be performing in June at The Writer’s Room (June 2) in Hollywood and The Mint (June 11) in Los Angeles; the Mid-State Fair Market (June 18) and Rava Winery (June 26) in Paso Robles and in July at the Commodore Grill and Belcourt Taps in Nashville, where she recently played several shows.
“As the title of my upcoming EP Where I Run hints at, I am definitely constantly on the go, pursuing my dream and all the musical and other adventures that come my way,” Casey says. “Yet I am also very grounded in the sense that I have a strong sense of who I am as a person and artist, have a strong moral compass and am in tune with what I want to achieve in life and music. I am a spontaneous person by nature and love change, so embracing the unknown and seeing where the journey takes me from here is really exciting. Nothing brings me more joy than when I make a special connection with people. It’s especially gratifying when they tell me how strongly they relate to one of my songs and the impact it has made in their lives.”